SUPPORT BARNSTABLE BECOMING A GREEN COMMUNITY

Barnstown is the only town onn the Cape tht has not beome a Green Comminity

GREEN COMMUNITIES:  Barnstable is now the ONLY town on the Cape that is not designated as a Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Community,  a state program started in 2008. (On the map in the linked document , the only towns in the State that are not green communities appear in white.)  Town Council voted it down 16 Dec 2021 by a 6-6 vote.  Opposition cited the cost to developers of the Stretch Code which has recently been made less cumbersome.https://tobweb.town.barnstable.ma.us/BoardsCommittees/TownCouncil/Minutes/2021/12-16-21_mins.pdf   Discussion and vote on GC pg 15-17). 

 The program is now being revisited and hopefully will pass.  Among its many benefits the program makes  towns eligible for up to a $250,000 annual grant.  Mashpee has already benefited by more than $1 million dollars.  The Barnstable Infrastructure & Energy committee will hold an educational workshop at the Town Council March 20th meeting. Information about the program can be found  in the document link above. The presentation will feature a number of speakers including Jane Ward..  BDTC members are encouraged to attend either in person or by Zoom.  If you are attending in person, please wear green and feel free to voice your support  during public comments or in writing!!  Let our Town Councilors know you are concerned and in support of becoming a Green Community!! Thank you

JOIN THE BIG BLUE WAVE

Democrats are fired up! I certainly felt it watching the recent rally in Philadelphia where we saw Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate Gov. Tim Walz take the stage togetherfor the first time. If you did not see the rally I encourage you to take the time to watch it along with Josh Shapiro’s speech that preceded Harris and Walz.

It was good stuff, it was electrifying. The message is that we need to work from a place of joy not fear, hope not despair and a belief that we are moving forward to a better future. Biden and Harris have left us in a better place than we were four years age but there is still work to be done. We are not going back, we are going forward and you can really feel that Big Blue Wave moving Democrats forward. So, I encourage you to hop on that wave and join us as we work hard to get Democrats elected up and down the ballot.  Let’s get busy campaigning not only for Harris and Walz, but for our local democratic candidates who will work hard for us on the important issues facing Cape Cod.

What can you do? These are just a few ideas:

•   Join us Wednesday, August 21st for the Barnstable Democratic Summer Social event at Smith’s Beer Garden at 541 Main Street, Hyannis from 5-7 p.m.

•   Come to the Barnstable Democratic Town Committee Monthly Meetings. They are held the first Wednesday of the month at the Osterville Village Library at 6:00 p.m. The next one is September 4th.

•   Join a BDTC subcommittee (membership, fundraising, etc.)

•   Help to establish a Youth/Young Adult Democrats Team to share ideas of future concerns and direction.

•   Follow the BDTC on FaceBook and Instagram to hear about upcoming events and opportunities to work on campaigns

•   Go the the BDTC website and subscribe to receive updates

•   Help with fundraising opportunities for democrats

•   Write Post Cards

•   Do Phone banking

•   Go door to door canvassing

•   Take a trip to a crucial neighboring state and get out the vote

•   Make your voice heard and VOTE!

WE NEED TO STOP THINKING OF PEOPLE IN NEED OF HOUSING AS A DRAIN ON THE COMMUNITY

A common theme in any discussion of housing is the grumbling about what negative impacts it will have. They’ll bring more traffic, use more water and generally want more of what is ours. But stop for a minute and think about it. Is it really more traffic? Many of the people in need of housing are already here. They may be living in a too small space for their family or with family or friends. Or they are coming over the bridges because they work here but live off-cape. Either way, they are already here and they are part of our community. Don’t they deserve a decent place to live? 

We need to stop thinking of people in need of housing as a drain on the community. They represent more than additional traffic or more water usage. They are part of our community. They are our seniors struggling to maintain their home when nothing less is available.  They are the teachers and staff in our kids’ school, the police officer or firefighter that answers our calls, the medical staff that looks after us and the workers that man our stores, restaurants and businesses. And yes, we actually need more of them. Employers all over the cape say they need more workers. But instead of adding a workforce we continue to lose people who can’t afford to stay - including our own kids. Why are we so welcoming to tourists who bring traffic, use water, demand services and then leave? But then we are so intolerant of people who want to be part of the community and become the next generation of cape codders?